Leslie Hewitt, Untitled (Holding Still), 2009, digital c-print in custom maple frame, 53 5/8" x 62 5/8"

Awaking from a deep sleep into the dead of autumn, the Lumber Room opens with its first exhibition this year. Exploring optical play, the works presented here are the result of pushing and pulling the medium of photography towards and away from its very limitations. Pay particular attention to the austere work of recent MFA grad, Evan La Londe and the proto-historical analysis that underwrites the work of Leslie Hewitt.

Terrain Shift | Corin Hewitt, Leslie Hewitt, Erin Shirreff, Elizabeth McAlpine, Will Rogan, Jennifer West and Portlander Evan La Londe
November 2nd, 2012 - February 2nd, 2013
The Lumber Room | 419 NW 9th Ave

Cover of Kraus' Summer of Hate

Chris Kraus will be giving a special reading of her new novel Summer of Hate at YU this Sunday as part of the programming in conjunction with the Marianne Wex exhibition. Chris Kraus a novelist, critic, and filmmaker loosely based in Los Angeles. She is the founder of Semiotext(e)'s Native Agents imprint. From MIT press: "Summer of Hate is a novel about flawed reciprocity and American justice, recording recent events through the prism of a beleaguered romance. As lucid and trenchant as ever, Kraus in her newest novel reminds us that the writer can be a first responder of sorts when power becomes invisible, or merely banal." The reading is presented is co-presented by the Cooley Gallery, celebrating the release of Kraus' Kelly Lake Store & Other Stories, the second volume in the Cooley Gallery's Companion Editions.

Chris Kraus | A reading as part of Wex
November 4th | 3 PM
Yale Union | 800 SE 10th

Anne Crumpacker, Cross Currents12 1/2' x 14 1/2 feet, and 10 feet tall, made of Crosscut bamboo, square bamboo culm, and wood, date: 2011.

There's an exhibition opening this Friday at the Japanese Gardens that explores the artistic process of working with bamboo. Specifically, the three artists presented treat their work as a meditative process that aims to infuse the life-affirming quality of the bamboo into the viewer's experience. Jiro Yonezawa, one of the artists writes, "The images, sounds, sensual and emotional experiences of daily life find their way through my hands to reside in woven sculptures and vessels. The process of preparing strips to weave and then weaving forms from those strips is inherently meditative. The cacophony of life dissipates; the sculpture emerges vigorous and vibrant. Form, contrast, balance and the interplay of space, color, and texture are the elements I consider. With each new series I strive to be innovative and try to tease out another emotion from the woven bamboo shape."

Bamboo Art: Meditation and Transformation
with work by Charissa Brock, Jiro Yonezawa, and Anne Crumpacker
November 2-25, 2012
Portland Japanese Gardens | 611 SW Kingston Ave

Towne Storage will host their annual fall open house this Saturday. There will be over 25 studios free and open to the public showcasing the work of local artists and crafters. There will be items for sale in most studios for early holiday shoppers and live music for those who need something else to keep them excited.

Towne Storage Open Studios
November 3rd | 6-10 PM
The Towne Storage Building | 17 SE 3rd Avenue